Pressurized drinking container

ABSTRACT

Pressurized medical Cup Device comprises a plastic cup containing liquid while a piston making more inside pressure on the liquid to have it go up through the straw. This method is offering a lot of help for the people who are suffering from a difficulty in sucking any kind of liquid because of disability problem, mouth surgery, tooth extraction or an king of problem that interfere with sucking liquid. Unfortunately, many patients suffer from ailments or disabilities that prevent them from drinking, even through a straw. As such, the patients, along with their care providers, can never be sure if the medicine was fully consumed or just ran down the patient&#39;s face. These same problems exist when trying to drink ordinary liquids such as water, juice, or the like as part of regular nourishment. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which individuals that have great difficulty when drinking from a straw can be afforded the ability to do so in an effort to address the concerns as described above.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention was first described in a notarized Official Record of Invention on Sep. 18, 2009; that is on file at the offices of Montgomery Patent and Design, LLC. There are no previously filed, nor currently any co-pending applications, anywhere in the world.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to drinking containers and, more particularly, to a pressurized drinking container wherein a contained fluid is automatically dispensed.

MOTIVATION FOR THE INVENTION

As the medical profession continues to break new grounds in disease prevention and control, a steady stream of new drugs and medicines enter doctors' offices, pharmacies, and over the counter displays for use by patients worldwide. Many of these new drugs are available only in a liquid form and must be drunk by the patient. Unfortunately, many patients suffer from ailments or disabilities that prevent them from drinking, even through a straw. As such, the patients, along with their care providers, can never be sure if the medicine was fully consumed or just ran down the patient's face. These same problems exist when trying to drink ordinary liquids such as water, juice, or the like as part of regular nourishment. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which individuals that have great difficulty when drinking from a straw can be afforded the ability to do so in an effort to address the concerns as described above. The development of the present invention serves to alleviate these concerns and provide for this need.

A pressurized drinking cup is an apparatus that allows liquids to be consumed by an individual who is disabled or unable to suck liquids through a straw. Upon initial observation, the apparatus appears as a conventional beverage container having a lid and straw. However, after closer inspection, it is realized that the apparatus provides the ability to discharge any contained liquid or medication without having to suck the liquid from the container. This feature is enabled by an interior lid assembly which is driven down into the liquid by use of a self contained interior spring. This interior lid assembly has an aperture which accommodates the straw whose entrance is placed at the bottom of the container. Thus, as the spring is driven downward, the liquid is forced up and out of the straw in a controlled manner for consumption. When finished, the apparatus can be disassembled for washing and cleaning and is dishwasher safe. The use of the present apparatus provides people who have difficulty or are unable to drink from a conventional straw the ability to do so in a manner which is quick, easy, and effective.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pressurized drinking cup 10, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTIVE KEY 10 pressurized drinking container 15 fluid 20 body 25 bottom surface 30 lid 40 straw 45 sealing means 50 piston 55 piston plate 60 spring 65 spring attachment

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within FIG. 1. However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiment, and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope.

The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE

The present invention describes a pressurized drinking container (herein described as the “apparatus”) 10, which provides a means for assisting an individual who has difficulty drinking fluids 15 such as, but not limited to: water, juice, liquid medicine, or the like from a straw 49. Ailments or disabilities prohibit reducing air pressure within the mouth of an individual which normally transfers the fluid 15 upwardly through the straw 40 and into the individual's mouth. The apparatus 10 gives an individual the ability to consume fluids 15 in an effort which addresses the individual's ailments or disabilities. The apparatus 10 comprises a body 20, a lid 30, a straw 40, a piston 50, and a spring 60 which enable the individual utilizing the apparatus 10 the ability to consume fluids 15.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of the apparatus 10, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, is disclosed. The body 20 of the apparatus 10 comprises a cylindrical-shape comprising a solid bottom surface and an open upper end. The body 20 is envisioned to be fabricated from a durable plastic material, yet other materials may be utilized without limiting the scope of the apparatus 10, and further comprises dimensions measuring approximately six (6) inches in length and three (3) inches in diameter. A lower internal portion of the body 20 houses a desired fluid 15 and an upper internal portion provides a preferably threaded attachment means to the lid 30.

The lid 30 provides a means to secure fluid 15 within the body 20. The lid 30 comprises a circular convex shape which is envisioned to further comprise a threading means on an outer perimeter surface to engage the upper portion of the body 20. The diameter of the lid 30 corresponds to the diameter of the body 20 in an expected manner to properly engage the body 20 and secure the fluid 15 within. The lid 30 also comprises a pair of apertures to enable the straw 40 and the piston 50 to be inserted and further secures the straw 40 and the piston 50 in a vertical manner. The aperture utilized for the straw 40 is envisioned to measure approximately a quarter (¼) of an inch and the aperture utilized for the piston 50 is envisioned to measure approximately a half (½) an inch. The straw 40 is envisioned to measure approximately seven-and-three-quarters (7¼) of an inch in length and the piston 50 is measures approximately five (5) inches in length. The straw 40 and the piston 50 are envisioned to be removably attachable to the lid 30 to enable sanitizing and conventional cleaning of the apparatus 10. The straw 40 and piston 50 are envisioned to be fabricated from plastic, yet other materials may be utilized without limiting the functions of the apparatus 10.

The piston 50 extends into the body 20 and is attached to a piston plate 55 which provides a means to force the fluid 15 downward. The piston plate 55 is envisioned to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the body 20 which prohibits fluid 15 from leaking beyond the piston plate 55. The piston 50 is envisioned to be attached at an intermediate location on the piston plate 55 via attachment means such as, but not limited to: integral molding, plastic welding, adhesive, or the like. The piston plate 55 also provides a location for the straw 40 to be inserted through an aperture comprising a sealing means 45 which prohibits fluid 15 from entering an upper portion of the container 20. The piston plate 55 further extends the straw 40 into the lower portion of the body 20 to access the fluid 15. An underside portion of the piston plate 55 provides an engagement means to a spring 60 (not shown). The spring 60 is also attached to the bottom surface 25 of the body 20 via a spring attachment means 65 which is envisioned to be an integrally molded footing, yet other attachment means may be utilized without limiting the functions of the apparatus 10. The spring 60 provides the piston 50 with a recoiling means to force the piston 50 and piston plate 55 back to an original state preceding an initial depressing of the piston 50. In use, the piston 50 is depressed to simultaneously push the piston plate 55 into the body 20 which applies a surface pressure against the fluid 15, thereby forcing the fluid 15 upwardly into the straw 40 and further into the individual's mouth for consumption. The spring 60 is envisioned to be fabricated from polished stainless steel, yet other materials may be utilized without limiting the scope of the apparatus 10. The spring 60 is also envisioned to measure approximately five (5) inches in a relaxed state and three-quarters (¾) of an inch in diameter.

It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope.

OPERATION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the apparatus 10, it would be installed as indicated in FIG. 1.

The method of utilizing the apparatus 10 may be achieved by performing the following steps: acquiring the apparatus 10; positioning the apparatus 10 on a level surface; removing the lid 30 in a common manner; removing the straw 40, the piston 50, piston plate 55; filling the internal portion of the body 20 with a desired fluid 15; engaging the piston 50 and piston plate 55 with the spring 60; replacing the lid 30; inserting the straw 40 through the lid 30 and piston plate 55; placing the straw 40 in an individual's mouth; depressing the piston 50 to simultaneously depress the piston plate 55 and force the fluid upwardly through the straw 40 and into the individual's mouth; utilizing the apparatus 10 as desired; cleaning as necessary; and, enabling an individual who is usually unable to drink from a straw 40 the ability to consume fluids 15 in a manner which quick and effective.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

1. A pressurized drinking container comprising: a generally cylindrical body having a closed bottom and an open top, said body defining a reservoir for holding a fluid; a lid removable attached to said body open top, said lid having a first straw aperture and a piston aperture; a piston plate disposed at an intermediate location within said body, said piston plate having a second straw aperture and being vertically positionable within said body for applying a pressure upon said fluid; a spring affixed between a body closed bottom and an underside of said piston plate, said spring for applying an upward force upon said piston plate; a piston affixed to a topside surface of said piston plate and disposed through said piston aperture, said piston for applying a downward force upon said piston plate; and, a straw disposed through said first straw aperture and said second aperture, said straw having a distal end disposed in said fluid and a proximal end opposite said distal end; wherein said pressure drives said fluid into said straw distal end and out of said straw proximal end.
 2. A method drinking a fluid from a straw without manually providing a negative pressure, said method comprising the steps of: providing a pressurized drinking container; filling said container with said fluid; and, utilizing said container for dispensing said fluid. 